Once Upon a Time’s Colin O’Donoghue confirms new series The Gray House (and we’re already hooked!)

We come bearing good news, Oncers! Those of you who are fellow fans of the amazingly talented Colin O’Donoghue, it seems like we’re going to see the actor in a new project. At a fan convention, he recently confirmed his involvement in new historical television series, The Gray House, produced by Yellowstone‘s Kevin Costner and  Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman. Oh my goodness!

Since Once Upon a Time ended in 2018 after seven seasons and we said goodbye to the roguishly handsome pirate Captain Hook/Killian Jones, we’ve certainly missed seeing Colin consistently on our screens! Since the conclusion of the fan-favorite (and my personal favorite) fairytale series, the actor has showcased his voice acting skills on numerous projects.

Those include Douxie in Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters franchise on Netflix, Gerry in the Apple TV+ movie Luck, and even took on a guest voice role in The Great North on Hulu. After OUAT, Colin was also on an episode of Netflix’s Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings as J.J. Sneed, as well as a series regular playing Gordon Cooper in The Right Stuff on Disney+.

But The Right Stuff premiered in 2020, and since then our favorite actor hasn’t been attached to a film or scripted series that isn’t animation. Which don’t get me wrong, he does brilliantly. But we miss seeing him “in person” showcasing his talent. That’s for sure! Well, hopefully we’re going to see him a new show soon.

Colin O’Donoghue at GalaxyCon Columbus

During Colin’s panel at the GalaxyCon Columbus fan convention in early December 2023, the actor confirms he’s one of the cast members in historical spy drama series The Gray House. During the Q&A, a fan asks him about it and here’s what he had to say:

"I did an American Civil War thing with Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman producing. It’s called The Gray House. So that’s why I had a weird beard for the last year. It was horrible. That’s all I can say."

Thanks to con-goer Julie Naser, the panel is available for anyone to watch on YouTube. He starts talking about the project at the 28:50 time mark below:

What is Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman’s The Gray House about?

Back in September 2022, Deadline reported that The Gray House was in the works, with Costner and Freeman producing the show for Paramount Global. The behind-the-scenes team includes writers Leslie Greif, Darrell Fetty, and John Sayles. Roland Joffe serves as director.

At the time, the news outlet shared filming would begin in the spring, and this casting call shows that production started in April 2023. And it seems like filming has now finished. That’s thanks to the series getting a  SAG-AFTRA interim agreement during the actors strike, Deadline shares. This was one of the few productions able to continue filming during the strike.

As Colin mentions above, The Gray House is a Civil War spy drama that will be a six-episode limited series, per the news outlet. No release date or streaming home have been announced yet. If we had to take a guess, it's likely the show will potentially stream on Paramount+ since it's a Paramount Global production. The story is centered around real-life figures, the three women General Ulysses S. Grant said helped the North win the war in the 1800s. We shared the synopsis from Deadline below:

"The Gray House tells the story of the three women General Ulysses S. Grant credited as helping the North win the Civil War. It focuses on the unsung women who turned the tide of the American Civil War in favor of the North. A Richmond Socialite and her daughter, a formerly enslaved African-American, and a courtesan build the first successful female spy ring, operating right under the noses of the Confederate High Command. They risk life and liberty to help win the war and preserve American Democracy."

Though no cast members have been officially announced, we have an idea of who else to expect to see thanks to the Revelations Entertainment website. This is Freeman’s production company, which is co-producing the series. On the site, there’s an unofficial poster of the show with the following actors’ names: Weeds actress Mary-Louise Parker, Shadow and Bone‘s Daisy Head, and Ben Vereen.

Colin’s name isn’t there so we’re still waiting on official word regarding his involvement. But I mean, it’s come from the man himself! So… it’s safe to say the OUAT alumn is indeed in the new series. But I wonder who he’s playing. Hmm. Any guesses?

For those of you following the actor closely, you’ll remember him rocking a distinctive beard in this Instagram photo (shared below), captioning it with “Beardy in Bucharest!” This also confirms the series filmed in the capital of Romania. How cool!

As he revealed at the fan convention, Colin had the “weird beard for the last year.” I mean, Colin looks good no matter what. I don’t know what he’s talking about! But since he had to keep it for so long, this seems to suggest that he has a major role in The Gray House. And we’re so excited for him!

The story of The Gray House certainly sounds compelling and I’ll definitely be tuning in. This new role is also a different one than we’ve seen the actor in before. And that’s what makes it even more interesting! Colin’s been smart about taking on different characters, showcasing his talent in various genres. So I’m so excited for this new project of his, and hope we get official release date news soon. As long-time fans, we’re so happy for him and can’t wait to support the actor in the new series!

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote as we bring you news and updates about The Gray House!